Learn Hardcore Norwegian: Bursdagsfesten var faktisk bedre enn arrangementet i fjor, og gavekortet var nyttig. - The birthday party was actually better than last year’s event, and the gift card was useful.

bursdagsfesten is the definite singular of the compound noun bursdagsfest (from bursdag + fest). In Norwegian, compounds are written as one word, and the definite article is suffixed to the whole compound. Since fest is a masculine noun (which normally takes -en in the definite), bursdagsfest becomes bursdagsfesten.

What does faktisk mean, and why is it placed between var and bedre?

faktisk is an adverb meaning actually or in fact. It adds emphasis, indicating that the party turned out even better than expected. In Norwegian word order (Subject–Verb–Adverb–Complement), manner or emphasis adverbs like faktisk typically follow the finite verb (var) and precede the adjective or complement (bedre).

Why is bedre used instead of mer god?

God (‘good’) has an irregular comparative form in Norwegian: bedre (‘better’). Most adjectives form the comparative with mer + adjective (e.g. mer interessant), but common exceptions are god → bedre, gammel → eldre, and liten → mindre.

Why is enn used after bedre, and can you use som instead?

After a comparative adjective like bedre, Norwegian uses enn (‘than’) to introduce the thing being compared. You cannot use som in this context—that conjunction is for similes or equal comparisons (e.g. like stor som is used differently).

Why is i fjor placed after arrangementet, and is there another way to say “last year’s event”?

Here i fjor (‘last year’) functions like a postmodifier of arrangementet (“the event”), so it comes after the noun: arrangementet i fjor. An alternative phrasing uses the genitive: fjorårets arrangement, literally “last year’s event,” where fjorårets (with -s) marks the possessive.

Why is there a comma before og in this sentence?

Norwegian punctuation calls for a comma before og when it connects two independent clauses with different subjects (here bursdagsfesten and gavekortet). It works much like the comma-before-and rule in English.

Why does gavekortet end with -et, and why is it one word?

Gavekort (‘gift card’) is a neuter compound noun (gave + kort). In Norwegian, compounds are always single words, and neuter nouns take -et for the definite singular—hence gavekortet.

Why doesn’t nyttig have an -e ending in gavekortet var nyttig?

After copular verbs like være (to be), adjectives function as predicates and remain in their base form. Predicate adjectives in Norwegian do not take endings, regardless of the noun’s gender or definiteness.